Christians Are Called to ‘LOVE’ Muslims – But They’re ALSO Called to Do Something Else…

When the world is at peace and all is well, maybe we can afford a cupcake Christianity that is built on sweet sentimentalism with “Jesus words” sprinkled on top. Maybe then we can suffer a theology that refuses to see and think and would just as soon pretend Jesus never commanded his disciples to be wise as serpents and on guard against evil men (Matt 10:16-17).

For most of our history, Christianity was embraced by men and women who applied wisdom to love. They were realists who understood the world in which they lived and naturally processed events in light of the ideologies that drove them. Christianity wasn’t a philosophical refuge for spiritual utopians, nor was the Bible a reference book of clichés. “Judging not” had nothing to do with assessing ideologies; it was about the consistency with which one assigns moral standards to himself and his neighbor. “Turning the other cheek”, “doing unto others”, and “loving your enemies” represented general principles for personal relationships. Applying a hermeneutic of common sense and with Jesus’ intentions in mind, these principles were understood to have little or nothing to do with foreign policy and national security.

The good ol’ days. The days when ordinary folks didn’t need to be reminded that a prerequisite for sharing the gospel is being alive. The days when we realized that quoting John 3:16 to the Nazis was time that could have been better spent shooting them. When Christian men would have been reluctant to borrow money in their children’s names to finance the infiltration of their homeland with foreign warriors who promised to kill them and rape their wives and daughters. The days when those who loved Jesus recognized their primary duty to protect and defend the precious lives entrusted by him into their care.

How times have changed! Nowadays, many are happy to embrace just about any policy so long as someone tags a line from the Sermon on the Mount and slaps the “love” label on it. It’s the mindless route for Christians and as dangerous as dumb.

There are many good Christian brothers and sisters who disagree with me. They claim to have calculated the risks. To their credit, many of them are not only calling for us to accept Muslim refugees, they have already demonstrated their willingness to make personal sacrifices to extend Christ’s love to those in need. They’ve gone to dangerous places and taken risks for the gospel that many Christians haven’t and wouldn’t. On the question of accepting refugees, I do not challenge the sincerity of their love; I challenge the depth of their wisdom. Going to dangerous places with the gospel is different than inviting dangerous people to live among us. I used to share the gospel in a maximum security prison with hardened killers. I never offered to put one in my spare bedroom.

Hopefully, we all want to help those who are genuinely in need. Hopefully, we have a place in our hearts for real refugees, especially women and children. The question isn’t whether we should help but how. How do we distinguish between real refugees and ISIS operatives posing as refugees? How do we help some without jeopardizing others? I submit that the administration’s current policy is highly dubious and, while apparently loving toward those claiming to be refugees, will–WILL!– result in the deaths of innocent American men, women, and children.

I couldn’t hide my contempt for such naiveté. Assad isn’t giving us their background files. There are a million Mohammeds in Syria. All mention of vetting is pure stupidity. We are talking about the same people who renewed the visas of the 9/11 hijackers months after the attacks! I replied, “There is no way to vet these people.”

To my surprise, the staffer admitted, “Yeah, that’s true.”

Equally surprising admissions that ISIS members are embedded with would-be refugees has given remarkably little pause to Christians ready to love recklessly. I ask them: Are there not others to love besides the mujahideen? Should we not love our own children? Our neighbors?

Christian friend, if protecting and defending the weak and helpless who look to us doesn’t thrill you–if you are convinced that Jesus would have you kick them and all your progeny to the curb–let’s explore the question of how best to love a Muslim.

The Christian believes that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life– that no one is forgiven apart from the Son of God (Jn 14:6). Therefore, Muslims are all destined not for the paradise they desire, but for eternal destruction if they don’t repent and embrace Jesus Christ in faith. Before a Muslim can repent and turn to Christ, he must reject Islam. Before he can reject Islam, he must believe it is false. Before he believes it is false, he must realize that Allah is not the true God. Before he can realize Allah is not the true God, he will understand that Allah is powerless to grant him success. And the best way for him to realize that Allah is powerless is to suffer humiliating defeat at the hands of kuffar (non-Muslims).

By inviting ISIS members into our country to invade us through hijrah, we are unintentionally sending the message that the Christian gospel is false and that Islam is true. When one understands how dependent jihad is on the perception of success as confirmation that Allah is pleased, it becomes apparent that the most loving thing we can do for Muslims is to defeat their theology by clobbering their mujahideen. To love them is to block their hijrah, to call out their taqiyya, and to crush their jihad. Then, when they behold among the smoldering ruins their silent, shattered minarets, they will be forced to ask, “Allah, what kind of god are you? Are you even there?” Similarly, it was not cupcakes and sweet Christian sentiments that ended once and for all the practice of emperor worship in Japan; it was bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was Emperor Hirohito going on the radio and informing the Japanese people that he–a god!–was surrendering, essentially admitting his powerlessness.

To acquiesce to Islam and welcome their Trojan horses into our streets is not only the opposite of wisdom, it is truly the opposite of love. It is to increase their confidence in a damning theology. It is to harden them in their ways. If we set aside sentimentalism and apply wisdom to love, we can help those in genuine need while protecting our children and our homeland.

About the author, Shawn Meyer: Shawn Meyer, father of seven and husband of one, is a small-town Midwest pastor. A public speaker with diverse interests, Shawn has trained and lectured for schools, churches, camps, and charitable groups on topics ranging from bioethics to bow hunting. Boisterously active in politics and cultural reformation from his youth, Shawn’s fighting spirit is inspired by love of God and country. View all articles by Shawn Meyer

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